Updated throughout the day with quick takes from staff.
by Bethlehem Shoals • Mar 17, 2009 4:10 PM EDT
Some moderately interesting news from the annals of drugged-out NBA history. As you may have heard, Roy Tarpley -- one-time Dallas Mavericks star, and perhaps the patron saint of coke-related rules violations -- filed suit against the NBA and the Mavs, claiming that his lifetime ban represented discrimination. The argument: If Tarpley's clean, no company can shut him out indefinitely just because he's got that disease called addiction.
Tarpley settled a 2007 federal lawsuit against the league and the Mavericks in which he claimed the team violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by refusing to reinstate him after he was banned for drug use.Now, we might not want to read to much into this settlement. After all, settlements often are just a way of making this kind of nuisance go away. But there's also a chance that Tarpley did have some shred of a case, and the NBA (mostly) didn't want to risk seeing its draconian regulations challenged in a court of law. Like baseball's formerly screwy steroids rules, professional sports leagues exist in their own little world, one that runs parallel to, or deviates sharply from, the one you and I live in. The less attention paid to them, the better. Or maybe Roy Tarpley was just too good to let back into the NBA.
No terms were released.
Tarpley, 44, claimed the league and the Mavericks discriminated against him because he was a recovering substance abuser.
This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.
1 comment
Next Post: Introduction
Read More: nba, sportingblog
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
Scoreboard data copyright © 2012 by STATS LLC. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC is strictly prohibited.
OpenCalais - Powered by Thomson Reuters
•
Odds Shark
The 5 biggest sports stories, hand-picked for your inbox. Show more info?
We’ve developed a unique newsletter that delivers the five most interesting sports stories fans are talking about, direct to your email three times a week. Each email is curated by an SB Nation editor who follows sports the way you do: as a fan. One email three times a week, with stories worth your time.
You can unsubscribe at anytime, and we'll never use your address for evil. Not interested? Make this bar go away forever. You can always sign up later.

Comments
…And in an unrelated story, Maverick Owner Mark Cuban announced today that the team has signed former Dallas snort-throb Roy Tarpley to a 10-day contract, the terms of which were not disclosed, Cuban, however, insisted to the assembled reporter on hand that Tarpley, 44, "can still ball. Wait ’til Duncan tries to waltz down the Lane on us next time!!!"
by she hate me on Mar 17, 2009 4:52 PM EDT reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed